Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
The only one I would say is an even close comparison is Shaq as he was still in his prime when he went to LA in 1996 to play w/Kobe, and that is a big exception considering Kobe was a rookie in 96' and nowhere near the player he is today - D. Wade was pretty established already in 2010 and was arguably one of the top 3 or 4 players at the time. Joining forces w/Eddie Jones, Nick Van Exel and Big Shot Bob was a nice team, but hardly the talent of the 3 players the Heat have now. Garnett, Rodman, and especially Malone & Payton were all at the tale end of their careers when they joined forces w/their respective teams. Both James & Bosh were right in the middle of their primes.
I agree here. The Shaq analogy doesn't even really apply to what happened in Miami, because Shaq left a team in Orlando( Prime Penny Hardaway, Nick Anderson, Horace Grant, Dennis Scott) that was more 'championship-ready' than the team he joined in LA. Rookie Kobe Bryant? Elden Campbell? Eddie Jones? Van Exel? Shaq leaving for LA had as much to do with being in a bigger market to pursue his movie and rap career, as it was for Basketball reasons.
Location: Born & Raised DC > Carolinas > Seattle > Denver
9,338 posts, read 7,109,569 times
Reputation: 9487
Wow, that's a great point about Shaq. I totally agree with you. I think what Shaq did going to LA, and what Garnett and Ray Allen did with Boston were differnt than what Miami's "Big 3" did.
I think what Shaq did going to LA, and what Garnett and Ray Allen did with Boston were differnt than what Miami's "Big 3" did.
Absolutely. Shaq wasn't even at the same point in his career that Lebron, Wade or Bosh were. He had only played 4 seasons when he decided to join LA, at 24. And again, if you look at the roster he left in Orlando, note this is before Penny Hardaway got injured, we had every reason to believe Orlando would have challenged Chicago for Eastern conference supremacy and eventually supplanted the Bulls once they had aged. If it's strictly 'basketball reasons' we're talking here, as in which team was closer to being a champion, Orlando was certainly MUCH closer to that goal at that time.
Shaq left Orlando because of egos, and the entertainment industry...he said it himself.
And then was traded from LA, for precisely the same reason.....lol
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
